PLYMOUTH TWP. — A reptile rescue. A personal-training gym. An auto-detailing shop. A plumbing contractor stacking equipment to the rafters. Even a micro-distillery selling bottles of whiskey with a small tasting pour.
Those are just some of the uses Plymouth Township officials heard about Nov. 13 as they approved a new “mini-flex” condominium development – a project described as unlike anything the township has seen before.
The 41-unit Plymouth Flex Condominiums will fill a vacant 6-acre parcel off Schoolcraft Road east of Haggerty.
The four-building complex will offer small, individual warehouse-style units for sale, designed for everything from light manufacturing and business storage to personal workshops and offices.
A long list of allowed uses includes retail stores, restaurants, art and photography studios, veterinary and dog grooming facilities, catering services and more.
“This is somewhat unique,” Supervisor Chuck Curmi said. “We’ve never had anything quite like this in Plymouth Township.”
The project cleared several other earlier planning hurdles, including unanimous planning commission approval of the Planned Unit Development option in March 2024, township board approval of the PUD in November 2024 and site plan approval by the planning commission in July 2025.
‘An active place’
Developer Mark Roberts said similar projects around the country attract a wide mix of buyers like tradespeople, small business owners, hobbyists and niche operators.
“The allowable uses are broad,” Roberts said. “It’s just about any commercial use you can think of under the sun…you can buy it for your car collection… people get them to have a place to work on their motorcycle.”
One buyer at his Colorado facility operates a reptile rescue, he noted. Another sells AstroTurf. Many units add mezzanines for office space above warehouse floors.
“It is going to be an active place,” Roberts said, noting marijuana operations are an exception and not, in fact, allowed.
Residential use is also prohibited. The development’s 41 units range from roughly 1,200 to 2,000 square feet. At about $280 per square foot, most units are expected to sell for $300,000 to $500,000, Roberts said, depending on size and build-out.
While all units are for sale, some are available for rent, with the option for later purchase.
Roberts said the buildings will use steel doors, masonry walls and high windows and will be professionally managed under a condominium association.
Alcohol, tasting rooms, breweries spark debate
A lengthy portion of the discussion at the Nov. 13 meeting focused on whether the project’s permitted-use list would allow bars, tasting rooms or restaurants.
While the contract includes language permitting alcoholic-beverage sales and production, Roberts said his team does not intend bar-style uses.
Trustees debated whether to revise the language to ban on-site consumption or remove the word “brewery” from permitted uses, but ultimately decided to leave the language unchanged, noting the project’s out-of-the-way location and lack of a storefront appearance was not likely to attract large crowds looking for a place to eat or drink.
Trustees John Stewart and Sandy Groth voted against the proposal, both citing concerns about the breadth of uses and the township’s limited ability to intervene later.
The final vote was 5–2.
Roberts said construction is expected to begin in February.
Contact reporter Laura Colvin: lcolvin@hometownlife.com
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Plymouth Township approves ‘unique’ 41-unit business condo development
Reporting by Laura Colvin, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
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